


Begin Again (Together)

by Rueitae



Series: Rue's Bad Things Happen Bingo [9]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Gore, Blue Paladin Lance (Voltron), Established Relationship, F/M, First Contact, Fluff and Angst, Hijacking, Kidnapping, Lance (Voltron)-centric, POV Lance (Voltron), for both plance and friendship between everyone, him and his mad skillz, in one spot otherwise its clean, its Keiths fault, its open but hopeful, merges into canon in the ending, of episode one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:06:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27450184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rueitae/pseuds/Rueitae
Summary: Lance and Pidge are enjoying a nice day out in the desert together after a long school week, though Lance can't shake the feeling that something is calling out to him.Neither of them see aliens coming.
Relationships: Lance & Blue Lion (Voltron), Lance & Voltron Paladins, Lance/Pidge | Katie Holt
Series: Rue's Bad Things Happen Bingo [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668730
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21





	Begin Again (Together)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dreams of Kalopsia (Sir_Arghs_III)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sir_Arghs_III/gifts).



> This is to fill the "hijacking" square of my Bad Things Happen Bingo card! Thanks for the request, Dreams! I hope you like it! Sorry it took so long! I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things!
> 
> There is blood/gore thanks to Keith's blade. Skip past when Lance sees a glint of metal and start reading again with 'they're friends now'.

Lance lets out a relieved sigh the moment his sneakers hit the hot sand of the desert outside the Galaxy Garrison. Between him and the freedom of the wilderness is only the garage, and he has a pass for an all terrain car.

Turning on the spot with the skill of a ballet dancer, he grins to see his cohort for the day balancing a canvas in her arms, giant backpack slung over one shoulder, and giant pencil in her mouth.

"Hurry up, Pidge," he teases with his hands in his jacket pockets. Daytime in the desert it may be, but hailing from a tropical island, the dry heat here cracks his uncovered skin and he’s only got so much lotion before he can restock on winter break, "we've only got four hours with this thing!"

Golden-brown eyes glare as she closes in on him, her tennis shoes crackling on the mix of gravel and sand before she reaches the concrete slab of the garage where Lance awaits her. Her brown hair is tied up in a ponytail, turning reddish as rays of sun between the buildings hit her just so. If not for her snarling, and maybe a dress rather than the tunic and leggings she currently wears, one could mistake her as an angel.

As far as Lance is concerned, Pidge already is one; an angel of intellect and daring. Though a year behind him in flight school, her brains helped him study through year two while accompanying him on many wild adventures; the things teenagers are supposed to do, sneak out past curfew to look at the stars and go to town and hang out at the arcade. Hunk, his blessed roommate and good friend, is always more than happy to cover as long as he gets all the juicy details of the dates.

They weren't dates, not right away, just study breaks with two friends and a shared sense of adventure. It was the fateful night they decided that maybe they should give Hunk something to gossip about, and kissed in front of witnesses, that changed it all. The daughter of Garrison science legend Samuel Holt, author of half of Lance's textbooks, is easily recognized and there is no way Hunk wouldn't be able to corroborate it.

Three months of avoiding and pining later, both of them admitted that perhaps they enjoyed that platonic kiss a little more than they realized.

Awkwardness behind them, and Pidge testing out to skip a year of classes and catching up on flight training during the summer, the two of them are on track to graduate together and launch their piloting careers.

Hopefully also together.

Pidge angrily mumbles through her teeth, pencil muffling out any intelligible words.

Lance chuckles and saves his genius girlfriend by plucking the pencil out of her mouth. "Can I carry anything?"

Pidge exhales with a sigh, trying to stay angry, but with growing resignation. "Why do you even like that stupid nickname anyway? Matt's the only one who ever calls me that."

It wasn't until just a few months ago that he learned of her brother's childhood nickname for her. It was Hunk who wanted her dad's autograph for his textbook, and that’s how Lance first met Katie Holt in flight school. If not for his friend's happiness, he would have never hunted Pidge down everywhere asking for an autograph on Hunk's behalf, so really, he supposes they both owe Hunk for introducing them. 

If he's honest with himself, sometimes he can't believe that a genius like Katie would want to be just a pilot when she has the world literally at her fingertips due to her last name.

So maybe that's why he likes Pidge so much. He forgets she's a Holt, and just his friend. His girlfriend.

He shrugs, with an easy smile on his face. "I like it. It suits you."

The war that wages in her heart, Lance can easily see through her eyes. She's made no secret she hates the name, but he can't help but tease her. Though it makes his heart tingle with joy that she reconsiders simply because _he_ likes it, like she really values his opinion. Genius, prodigious Pidge values run-of-the-mill Lance's opinions.

"Well," she concedes while biting her lip. "I guess there are worse nicknames." As soon as she says so, her eyes narrow. "But only you get to use it. Strict boyfriend privileges. I'm still going to correct Matt."

Lance’s grin stretches his skin nearly painfully. Spurred by his victory, he bows, stealing one of her hands and pressing a soft kiss against the back of it. "I am honored."

When he looks back at her face, it's beat red, mouth wobbling into a silly grin to match his own.

"See, you really can be smooth if you just be yourself," she says. "I'm happy to be on the receiving end of those awful pickup lines as long as I get the whole Lance."

It's his turn for heat to rush to his cheeks. "I'm lucky to have met you, Pidge," he says softly, then smirks. "Ready for our Garrison sanctioned afternoon out?"

"Ready like I’ve selected my Killbot Melee brawler," she confirms.

~~~~~~~

After flying the simulator a million times, Lance drives the car with ease and parks at the bottom of an ancient lake bed, not too far from Keith’s old house that he’s driven their group to more times than he can count. Pidge hums to herself in the passenger seat, applying gobs of sunscreen in preparation for their picnic lunch.

Lance exits first, taking in the hot, dry air that although isn't humid, still reminds him of home. All he needs to do is imagine this place as it was millions of years ago, under the ocean.

"Keith was right, this is a good spot," he admits as Pidge joins him.

She gasps in delight. "Those rock formations are perfect! I'm going to set up, can you get lunch ready?"

Lance lays out the blanket in the shade of the car while Pidge readies her canvas and easel. Flying through all of her other classes with ease, Lance suggested last summer that she take an arts class to try something new after she doodled all over his new textbooks. Unsurprisingly, she’s taken to it like a fish to water, as has Keith who she dragged into taking it with her.

It doesn't take Lance long to divvy out the sandwiches and potato salad, all on the house from Hunk. My treat, he'd said, for my two best friends.

What am I, chopped liver? Keith had responded.

"Today's not too bad for the desert," Pidge notes as she unwraps her sandwich. "We picked the one cloudy day a year to come out."

"Is that going to be a problem for your painting?" Lance asks worriedly.

"Just means that I'll have a rare perspective to show for class," she responds joyfully. A bashful smile, rare for her, tugs up her face. "I have you to thank for that."

Lance laughs as he swallows a spoonful of potato salad. "Me? Teach you something? Are you sure the heat isn't getting to your brain?"

"I'm serious, Lance," she insists. Her gaze falls to the picnic blanket. "To be honest...if it weren't for you, I'm not sure I would have stuck it out in flight school."

Lance doesn't dare eat another spoonful because he isn't sure his mouth can close at the moment. "Pidge, being a pilot is your dream. Just like me. Just like Keith." The fact that he inspired genius, amazing, beautiful Pidge causes his brain to short circuit faster than a late night cram session.

She doesn't look up. "I _do_ want to be a pilot and fly the ships my dad designs, to feel the thrill of being in control of flight...but sometimes I wondered if my brains are better served engineering the ships, too." She finally looks up. "That I was wasting my time in flight school."

Lance tries to encourage her, but finds his mouth dry. Thankfully, Pidge smiles as she continues.

"Then I met you, and you showed me there's more than one way to look at things."

The gears in Lance's brain churn. "When did I...?"

Pidge chuckles. "Calc, remember? I was trying to show you how to work the problems because you were so frustrated coming up with the wrong answer. Then we figured out it wasn't that you were using faulty logic, you just were mixing up sine and cosine. I learned that day that there's more than one way to go about solving for x. Because I understand the engineering behind the ships, it makes me a better pilot. I can talk their language so I can tell them how to make improvements more effectively than most. That's how I can help."

"Wow," Lance says numbly, a dumb smile on his face. "My girlfriend is amazing."

She blushes, but her smile is much more brilliant now. "My boyfriend is pretty amazing too, using his vehicle pass to help me with my homework."

It's cheesy, but Lance can't help it. "As long as I'm spending time with you, it's totally worth it."

~~~~~~

They need to get back, but both are loath to leave this perfect date.

"One more minute," Pidge begs as she outlines more of the cave in the near distance. "Can you take a picture so I can remember the colors?"

Lance takes his phone and holds it up to do so. "You know it won't do it justice." In an otherwise barren landscape, the rocks jut out mysteriously. It must have been a fun underwater cavern back in the day, the kind that he and his siblings love to explore in scuba gear.

"It'll be close enough to jog my memory," she hastily says, working just as rapidly and completely focused the same as if she were reading a flight manual or taking an exam.

Whatever helps Pidge, he'll do. So he examines what the camera sees on the main screen and hovers his thumb over the center to snap the photo.

_Paladin_

The phone hits the solid, sandy ground with a crackle. Lance's heart beats a mile a minute, head swiveling to find the source of the whisper. It can't be a gust of wind, there was far too distinguishable of a voice.

"Who's there?" he demands. Even as he asks it, an invisible force tugs his heart towards the cave that Pidge is still finishing the sketch of. There's an urgency to it that he can't quite make out, completely counter to the feeling of needing to bring the car back to the Garrison in a half hour, Lance has a desperate need to get inside the cave.

"It's just us, Lance," Pidge assures him nonchalantly.

Lance isn't so sure. He's never felt like his very soul is being dragged in a different direction than his brain.

He shakes his head. "Almost done, Pidge? I'll get the car running."

"I'll be there in just a second. One more..."

Lance takes that as his cue. He hops into the driver's seat and turns the ignition. Instantly, the sweet relief of air conditioning soothes his sweating skin. He just needs to wait for Pidge now, so he leans back into the comfortable leather seat and allows his eyes to close for just a minute, heart already at ease in the body’s restful state.

~~~~~

Lance feels like he's been asleep for hours, even though it can’t have been more than a few seconds. Still, his mind feels rested and his body rests so comfortably snuggled up next to Pidge. Her light, sleepy breaths are a familiar comfort. A smile tugs on his face as he nestles his face into her thick locks, taking in the refreshing scent of herbal shampoo she usually uses. Never mind getting back to the Garrison, he just wants to take in this moment for just a little bit longer…

A bump jolts Lance’s eyes open. His instinct is to wrap his arms around Pidge, hold her to him so she doesn’t fall over and risk getting a bruise.

But his arms won’t move, his wrists cuffed together behind him. 

Alarm bells sound off in his head before he can make a suggestive joke about it. The car is moving, Pidge is next to him, but neither of them are in the driver’s seat. 

“What…” he starts lamely, taking in the back seat where instead of Pidge’s easel, its just the two of them. “What’s going on?” he demands, glaring daggers at the back of the driver’s seat. 

Pidge groans beside him, shifting against his shoulder before her eyes flutter open. “Lance?” she asks weakly, wincing, squinting her eyes shut again. “My head is killing me.”

Tires crackle on sand and gravel, the car slowing down to a stop. The driver’s door opens and shuts before Lance can get a good look at their kidnapper. 

“Look sharp, Pidge. We’re in trouble. Either this is a super elaborate prank or we’ve been kidnapped.” Her eyes shoot open with a gasp, just in time dart towards the passenger back door, which clicks open. 

Lance gapes, sucking his breath in so hard that he coughs to alleviate the pressure. The figure that opens the door towers over the top of the vehicle, bending over to greet the couple with a fanged smirk, half a chuckle, seeming to delight over how terrified Lance feels right now.

They haven’t been kidnapped. They’ve been abducted by a stupidly tall purple alien with claws that scrape a tune across the outside of the car that is painful to his ears. 

“Out. Both of you,” he orders gruffly. 

Stunned, just as he is, Pidge doesn’t move. “Who are you?” she demands incredulously, with a hint of fear that Lance hopes only he recognizes. “What do you want with us?”

The alien’s answer is to grab Pidge by the arm and jerk her out the door. “Hey! Get your hands off of her!” Lance growls as she slides across the leather seats and out the door. A chill runs down his spine as the door opens behind him, a feeling of exposure replacing the feeling of relative safety of having a wall at his back. He yelps as a different alien, more furry looking than the one that grabbed Pidge, hauls him out by the scruff of his neck. 

The scent of stale water is in the air, like the ponds that develop in the poorly maintained country roads back home after a heavy rain. Rocks surround him as far as he can see and even as he’s forced to his knees. He relaxes ever so slightly that they haven’t been taken far. It's the inside of the cavern that Pidge was sketching.

The damp ground wets his jeans as Pidge is shoved beside him. His eyes go to her, asking silently if she’s alright. Her usually bright, brilliant eyes are dulled in light of their situation. She lightly hits his shoulder with her own, letting him know she’s fine, but just as scared as he is. 

He watches her every move, keeping a wary eye on the handful of robots that point guns in their direction, daring either of them to move. Pidge’s eyes widen and her jaw drops. He follows her gaze upward and momentarily forgets their peril. 

_Paladin_.

A gigantic, metal cat, colored in mostly blue but also greys and reds, sits regally in the giant cavern, surrounded by some type of force field. As soon as Lance locks onto its metal eyes, they flash yellow for just a moment, accompanied by a low rumble that he’d expect from an actual lion.

And that’s the second time he’s heard that word.

“I must offer my thanks to the both of you.

A third alien, taller and much buffer than the other two, walks into view with his hands wrapped professionally behind his back. He wears thick, red armor with designs that sort of look like eyes on the chestplate. His boots crunch on the floor, deliberately. If he weren’t giant, purple, and furry, Lance might think he were Iverson ready to teach them all a hard lesson. 

But Lance has a gut feeling this isn’t Iverson in disguise. 

“Because of your outing, our scanners were able to locate the Blue Lion and it will be back secure in Emperor Zarkon’s fold,” he continues jovially. “Your reward will be becoming the first of your people to serve the Galra Empire.”

“What?” Lance shrieks incredulously. Because evil alien empire is a trope from three of his favorite movies, not something that should be happening to him and his girlfriend.

“No way!” Pidge says with far more conviction. “You won’t get away with this!” 

There’s a surge of pride in his heart over Pidge’s defiance in the face of the unknown. He’s about to follow up with his support of her, be a good friend and even better boyfriend. Because he has to show his chops, he and Pidge are in very real danger and he is not going to let anything happen to her on his watch. 

A lion’s roar reverberates through his mind before he can act.

The alien in charge throws his head back and laughs. “Stunned in awe of superiority, I do not blame you. One day, the whole universe will bow before the might of the Empire.” He turns to the alien on his left. “Take them to the ship and ready the ion cannon. Blow this cavern up and secure the Lion.”

“No! Let me go!” Pidge yelps. Her tiny frame is horizontal and already squirming in a robot’s arms. She’s angry, not even a spark of interest at the artificial intelligence of the machine that carries her.

Lance is dragged to his feet by the same alien that pulled him from the car, a pit sinking further into his stomach over the surreal situation. Just minutes ago, (hours...days? How long has he been out?) he and Pidge were soaking in the glory of their bright future together. He's supposed to be a fighter pilot to protect Earth from unknown and sudden threats like this, not become the first victim.

Pushed forward by the tip of a gun, making his heart race and stomach clench in terror, he’s never felt so helpless, unable to help himself, much less his girlfriend. He stumbles forward past the rows of robots that line his path like knights saluting their king, or a prisoner under heavy guard.

And Pidge, with such a bright future ahead of her, will be stuck with him in the same situation. Smart, clever Pidge who for her first year project invented a more efficient engine that the Galaxy Garrison is testing at this very moment. In a few years, it wouldn't surprise him if she and Hunk have reverse engineered alien tech and advanced Earth far enough along to mount a defense.

To do that, she can't be a prisoner.

"W-wait!" Lance calls as he twists around. Strong arms keep him moving out of the cave, but he puts up a struggle on principle. "Let her go! I'll be a model prisoner, I promise!"

"Lance!" Pidge hisses.

The alien in charge laughs. "I really don't _need_ either of you. Unless you prefer me to kill her?" he prods. "But after the Druids take what information they can from you, I'll be pleased to have a couple of alien novelties working on my ship leading up to the invasion."

Lance goes limp at the awful revelation, cementing that these aliens are not the friendly green men from mars he'd hoped humans would make first contact with. A hostile alien invasion is something Earth is ill prepared for.

"No!" Pidge screams in horror, redoubling her effort to escape. Lance follows her lead, all his strength coming to naught as the alien twice his height drags him along.

 _Paladin_.

That voice again, stronger, more urgent. Pidge and the alien soldiers both show no indication that they have heard it, Pidge beginning to yell obscenities in the direction of the alien leader. It stirs a sense of comfort and confidence, as if someone powerful has his back, even though there is no help in sight.

Lance catches a glint of shine off a piece of metal. It's too high up to be from the car and not in the direction of the Lion. The next thing he knows, there's a thud and gurgle, and a dagger is embedded into the alien leader's neck. His solid yellow eyes grow wide and dull before he collapses where he stands - dead.

"What the-" Pidge gasps.

Then suddenly Lance's captor no longer holds him. In his place is Hunk, who carries a look of rage Lance has never seen from his normally passive and kind friend. The alien is unconscious against the wall.

Gunshots ring out, and two blaster shot go through the head of the robot that carries Pidge and another shot through the chest of the third alien. The robot drops her immediately, with a yelp of surprise from Pidge. All around them, the other robots disengage, falling lifelessly to the ground.

"Katie, Lance, are you two okay?" From out of a hiding spot, Lieutenant Shirogane emerges, holding a handgun at the ready, surveying for more enemies while Hunk cuts their bonds with his utility knife.

Pidge holds fast to him as Lance helps her up, and Hunk in turn hugs them tight.

"I was so worried when you guys didn't show up last night," he sobs. "You two were supposed to be on a date, not discovering aliens!"

"I'm fine," Pidge says, working to steady her breathing against Lance’s chest.

"There's more of them," Lance says quickly, never losing his vice grip hug around Pidge. "They're after this big blue lion. What is it?" Because surely if anyone outside of high command knows, it's legendary pilot Shiro.

But his eyes furrow with the same confusion as Lance felt when he first laid eyes upon it. "I don't know," Shiro says. "We'll report when we get back to the Garrison. I'm sure someone will."

"It’s not Garrison tech."

Lance looks up to Keith's voice. The other student pilot rips his dagger from the alien's body, cleaning off the very blue blood on his red bandanna.

They're friends now, but old habits die hard. "What makes you think that? Have you seen it before?" Lance accuses.

Keith only half glares back. "Yeah. Dad used to take me here when he was still alive. Told me Mom's job was to protect this thing and made me swear to never tell anyone." Pausing briefly, he steals a look to the alien leader before looking back at Lance, with conviction in his eyes. "Mom didn't work for the Garrison."

"If it's not Garrison tech...maybe it's theirs?" Hunk wonders, twiddling his thumbs nervously. "And they were here to take it back?"

"If it was theirs, I don't think they would have ever hidden it here," Pidge chimes in. "But it's definitely important to them. They'll be back for it."

"And probably with a whole fleet," Lance says somberly. "An invasion."

There's a heavy silence that hangs over the group. Pidge squeezes his hand and Lance is thankful for the small gesture that she's there with him.

Not unsurprisingly, Shiro speaks first. "There's protocol to follow. We all get back to the Garrison and start with the chain of command. Then we--"

Lance’s mind explodes with color and vision, like his mouth the time Rachel put too much ghost pepper in her batch of chili, The Blue Lion falls into formation with four others just like it. In a burst of light, in their place is a single humanoid robot. A single word falls into his mind.

"Voltron," he whispers aloud.

"There are five parts," Hunk adds.

"And this is only one piece of it," Pidge chimes in.

Wide eyed, Keith stares at them. His irises shine with an otherworldly purple glint as his jaw drops. "You guys saw it too?"

"I guess we all did," Shiro says in awe.

 _Paladin_.

This time the word in his mind is inviting. Slowly, Lance untangles himself from Pidge and steps closer.

"Dude, be careful, this is an alien ship," Hunk warns.

"Let him go," Keith says sternly, with a hint of wistfulness. "It's been hiding here for a long time. I think it wants Lance's help."

Lance approaches the force field and looks up at the Blue Lion's blank eyes. "Do you?" he wonders. He places his palm gently on the wall.

A loud roar, that this time he feels like a gust of wind, echoes through the cavern. Lance covers his head to protect from the whirlwind of sand and water, the sound of hydraulics at work all around him.

When Lance looks again, the Blue Lion is lying down, mouth open, with a ramp that leads inside laid at his feet.

Mouth agape, Lance looks up in amazement. "You really do want my help. Me?" he wonders incredulously. There are so many more talented people it could select. Ace pilots Shiro and Keith, genius Hunk and Pidge.

 _Paladin_ , the voice reinforces sternly.

A tiny, familiar hand wraps into his. Pidge stands by his side, an encouraging smile on her face. "Well, aren't you going to see what it wants from you?"

It did ask for his help, Lance realizes, even when he was out in the desert before getting abducted, it was calling to him. Lance smirks, confidence surging through his veins. He squeezes her hand back in thanks before striding up the ramp.

The cockpit seats one, and the chair feels as if it's been made for him. As the others file in, the heads up displays come to life all around him, showing a live feed outside and information about the atmosphere and power levels of the ship.

Because it is a ship, amazingly.

"Okay, great, we're inside," Hunk says. "How are we supposed to keep it out of alien hands?"

"In a way that doesn't involve them coming back to Earth to look for it," Keith adds.

Lance can feel Shiro tense behind the pilot's seat. "We have to let the Garrison know. Earth will be woefully underprep--”

“Too late,” Lance says in horror. As much as he hates to interrupt his idol, the Blue Lion has shown him an image of one of the alien ships. It is massive, and it's just arrived in Earth’s orbit. “They’re already here.”

“I don’t suppose we can just...give them this thing, can we?” Hunk asks. 

“After what Lance and I just went through, I don’t think they’ll leave Earth alone even if we do hand it over,” Pidge says. 

“We just saw that this thing is part of some kind of super weapon,” Keith adds. “It’s up to us to keep it out of their hands.”

“So we agree,” Shiro says solemnly. “We need to leave Earth. Any one of you who doesn’t want to leave can get off now. We won’t think any less of you. This is dangerous.”

Not one of them speaks. Pidge folds her hands tightly around his. Though her eyes are such a soft color, they hold a steely determination that Lance has come to love and respect. She’s all in with him.

Hunk places a comforting hand on his left shoulder and Keith a firm, supportive hand on his right.

Shiro, the legend and poster boy of the Galaxy Garrison, grins with pride. “Alright then. Let’s hijack an alien ship and play keep away. Lance, any instructions from the Lion?”

Blue purrs in his head and Lance can feel his tailbone twitch as the Lion’s tail wiggles in delight. She shows him an assortment of weapons and a trajectory to break Earth’s atmosphere. Blue also shows him images of the other Lions, hidden away on other planets across the universe. An invisible string wraps tightly around his wrist and tugs in four directions. It isn’t a stretch to realize that the Blue Lion thinks his friends will make good pilots - Paladins - for its brothers and sisters. 

“Something like that,” Lance says. “Looks like we’re all going to be the pilots we wanted to be.”

Hunk protests, but Lance has only ears for Pidge. “We’re going to protect our families,” she told him. “Just like we knew we’d do when we signed up for flight school.” She grins. “And I’m not going to let you do it alone.”

Since waking to his abduction, Lance finally feels relaxed at Pidge’s promise to be by his side. 

“Okay,” he smirks, hand firmly on the throttle. “Operation save Earth starts now.”  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://rueitae.tumblr.com/)! Please leave a comment if you liked it! I'm anxious to know what you liked!


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